


They Want Me To Make Them Oh Oh Oh

by Lasafara



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Acephobia, Implied Past Abuse, Incubus!Dean, John Winchester's A+ Parenting, M/M, ace!cas, consensual sex for the wrong reasons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-13
Updated: 2018-05-13
Packaged: 2019-05-03 18:43:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14575233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lasafara/pseuds/Lasafara
Summary: When Gabriel's misplaced concern for Cas's sex life results in a demon summoning, Cas is frustrated beyond belief. His brother won't accept his sexuality, and now he has an incubus in his house, unable to leave without a "boost." But the incubus is kind, and funny, and Cas finds he doesn't mind so much.Dean has spent his entire life making sure his partners were happy with his performance. After all, that's the only thing he's good for, according to his dad. So when he's summoned to someone who doesn't want to get down and dirty, Dean doesn't know how to handle it. He's never been seen as more than a glorified sex toy; what is he supposed to do when he's actually seen as a person?The two have a lot to work out, and worse, something isn't quite right with Dean. Can Dean and Cas figure out their differences before everything falls apart?





	They Want Me To Make Them Oh Oh Oh

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks as always goes to my beta, stupidbadgers, and my second beta who stepped in when badger got busy with school, Elliedew. I had a bisexual sensitivity reader, amirosebooks, who was fantastic in helping me work out some things as well. 
> 
> My artist, CenedraRiva, was FANTASTIC, and the art they gave me is just phenomenal. Her demon!Sam is absolutely beautiful and terrifying. Make sure to give them ALL the praise. 
> 
> Finally, this spawned originally from a now-hiatused ask blog, run in part by Bookkbaby. Thank you so much for letting me take your idea and run with it, and I hope you like the result.

“Gabriel, I fail to see why I am required to participate in your ‘rave party,’ when I have no desire to,” Castiel said, using finger quotes to emphasize his point. 

His brother rolled his eyes. “First of all, bro, finger quotes have been uncool since the 90s. Second of all, you _never_ get out. You have no life! And it is my job, as your older, more attractive, and more socially-inclined brother, to fix that!”

“I have a ‘life,’ Gabriel,” Cas started.

“Okay okay, stop that. And no, you don’t. When’s the last time you went to the movies?” Gabe asked.

“Two weeks ago,” Cas replied.

Gabriel did a double-take, staring at Castiel. “What? Seriously? What did you go see?”

“The IMAX at the science museum was showing a documentary on sharks. It was quite fascinating, actu--” Cas began again.

“No, no, no! Okay, that does _not_ count, dude,” Gabriel sighed. “When was the last time you took a _girl_ to the movies?”

Cas raised an eyebrow. “Gabriel, I have told you before, I have no interest in women. Dating one would simply be abusing her feelings, and I have no desire to do that.”

“Fine, whatever. Guy, gal, nonbinary pal, when did you take one of them out?” Gabriel asked.

“Once again, Gabriel, I am asexual,” Cas said. “I am not interested in dating someone who will only be disappointed when they discover that I will not engage in intercourse.”

“And _this_ is why you need to come to the party, dude. Because you talk like a robot and refuse to even _try_ sex,” Gabriel said, exasperated. “I’m not taking no for an answer, so get dressed.”

With a deep sigh, Cas obeyed. There really was no point in arguing further. He could probably get out of the party tonight, but if he didn’t at least make the appearance, Gabriel would make his life hell for a week. If he went tonight, he could duck out early, and Gabe would probably leave him alone about it for a while. 

The most frustrating thing was that Castiel knew that his brother was legitimately trying to help. Gabriel was, in his own way, very concerned about Castiel. His brother was the type of person who largely defined himself by the person he was dating. Gabe couldn’t understand Castiel, who did not need to be defined as part of a couple. Worse, Gabriel legitimately did not understand how Cas could consider a relationship that didn’t include sex. Gabe was pretty sure it was impossible. And Cas knew that Gabe only wanted the best for him. The fact that he didn’t trust Castiel as to what that was, well… 

Castiel pulled on a simple button-down shirt tucked into jeans, and rolled the sleeves up to his elbows. His brother rolled his eyes at the look, but didn’t argue. Cas knew that if nothing else, it made him look good but not necessarily approachable, something he’d used to great advantage at other things Gabriel dragged him to. It was also something he could pull out of his own wardrobe, since he and Gabriel no longer were of a size and the things Gabe bought him for “partying” always seemed to “go missing.” Generally to the local Goodwill.

Taking a deep breath, Cas climbed into his car, waiting for Gabriel to get in and buckle up. Tonight was going to be a long night.

*****

One of the nice things about being a driver at a party, even a raucous party like this one, was that no one gave a second thought to the fact that Cas asked for something nonalcoholic. Everyone knew that Cas was usually willing to make sure that everyone got home safely, and that he was a person who was safe to send friends home with. 

Nevertheless, he knew his brother was not above spiking drinks, so Cas felt it wise to nurse his soda. He’d stood in a corner for a half hour now, exchanging pleasantries with Gabriel’s friends and largely enjoying himself in a quiet sort of way. Castiel didn’t necessarily enjoy attending parties, but he did enjoy people-watching, and events like this were entertaining in that way. He figured after another hour, either someone would have over-imbibed and would need a ride, or he could find another excuse to make his exit. 

“Heeeey, bro! Hey hey hey!” Gabriel slurred, coming up beside Cas and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “Lukey had a… had a great idea! We’re gonna go put his demonology book to use in the basement!”

“...the fact that it is unsurprising to me that your boyfriend has a book on demonology is disturbing, Gabriel. In any case, if you open a portal to hell and bring about the Apocalypse, Mother will be quite upset,” Cas replied. “I doubt that ‘abducted by the four horsemen’ will get you out of Sunday dinner.”

“Yeah, well, we’re gonna need your help, buckaroo. Come’n, we’re going to the basement!” Gabriel grinned, dragging Cas by the arm downstairs. Cas sighed and didn’t bother to fight it.

“Right, where’s the Ouija board, oh great sorcerer?” Cas asked when he got to the bottom of the stairs. Luke, Kali, and a couple of other people Cas didn’t immediately recognize were gathered in a circle around a strange symbol chalked onto the concrete of the unfinished room.

“None of that kid stuff. We’ve got the _real thing_ here,” Luke said with a leer. “All we need from you is some blood.”

“...why my blood?” Cas asked, squinting suspiciously at the group.

“Cuz your brother mmph--!” Kali’s words were covered by Gabe’s hands, which Cas thought were rather too steady for someone as drunk as Gabe had been acting. He turned his gaze onto his brother.

“Come on, Cas-anova. It’s for your own good,” Gabe said, pulling Cas over to a bowl that was set up on a table behind Luke. 

“I am quite sure that dooming my immortal soul to hell in order to gain you and your boyfriend some sort of favor with creatures from the abyss is not ‘for my own good,’ Gabriel,” Cas said, attempting to tug his arm free.

Luke eyed Cas and chuckled, “Don’t you worry, angel-cakes. No soul-damning in this spell. Only ‘little deaths.’”

Cas was still glaring at Luke when he felt the needle prick on his middle finger. “...did you seriously just use a diabetic lancet on me?”

“No?” Gabriel said hopefully, squeezing Cas’s finger to get several drops of blood into the bowl below it. 

“Please tell me it’s at least a new needle,” said Cas, resigned.

“Oh, yeah, I got your back. Changed the needles out myself,” Gabriel said, finally letting go of Cas’s hand. Cas took it back and rubbed his thumb over the pin prick, absently wishing he had something alcoholic if only to sanitize it. 

“Am I done now? May I go witness the destruction of my soul from the comfort of the living room?” he asked.

“You gotta stay, Cass-iopeia! We’re summoning you a boyfriend!” Gabriel proclaimed gleefully. 

Cas sighed and sat down against the wall to watch as Luke lifted the bowl over the symbol on the floor. Luke stood over the symbol with the bowl, chanting something Cas assumed was in Latin, and then overturned the bowl onto the symbol as he screamed the final words. There was a loud bang, a huge cloud of silvery-purple smoke, and one of the girls screamed. As the smoke was clearing, Cas leaned forward.

“Did you doom my soul for nothing, Gabriel?” he asked.

Gabriel looked around, and then up at Luke. “Dude! You said this would work!”

“I said it would _probably_ work! I’ve never summoned a demon before!” Luke said. “I’m still in Latin 201!”

In the ensuing confusion, Cas escaped upstairs. He had a funny feeling that if he didn’t leave soon, Gabriel would follow him hoping for a second try, so instead of hanging around, Cas headed for the door. He drove home slowly, mostly to avoid getting pulled over, and by the time he got home, he was exhausted. It was almost surprising how tired he was, given how little he’d truly done all day, but he was not a particularly social person. Perhaps the party had taken more out of him than he’d realized. 

When he got home, Cas found he wasn’t even awake enough to make it to his bedroom. Shoving off his jeans and the button-up shirt, Cas flopped onto the couch and pulled the throw blankets over himself. He was asleep before he’d even completely covered himself. 

*****

Cas woke up the next morning sore. Sleeping on his salvaged couch was not necessarily his best idea, especially since the bedroom had been only feet away. Cas regretted it now. He suspected, however, that given the same circumstances he’d have made the same choice anyway.

Fortunately, it was Saturday and he didn’t have classes, so Cas decided he’d take a long hot shower to try to get the kinks out of his back. Cas headed for his bedroom, to grab a clean pair of boxers and his comfy clothing. No point in getting dressed if there wasn’t anywhere to be, after all.

His plans changed abruptly when he opened the door to his bedroom. Every flat surface was covered in either guttered candles, or vases filled with red roses. The ceiling had been draped with a red fabric, the bed littered with flower petals, and a nearly naked stranger sprawled across his comforter, snoring.

With a yelp, Cas slammed the door. A startled snort came from inside the room, and then Cas heard the naked man shuffle around in the room. He hoped that meant the man was getting dressed. “Sir! I am not sure how you gained entry to my house, but I believe you are lost! If you leave now I won’t call the authorities!”

“Oh! Oh wait! I fell asleep! Give me a second!” came the reply.

Cas decided to use the ‘second’ to get his phone. While he was grabbing it, he picked up the baseball bat he kept by the door, and the bear mace his mother had insisted on buying for him when he left home for college. It was always good, he felt, to be prepared.

“Okay! I’m ready now!” Cas heard from his bedroom. He waited another moment for the man to appear, and when he didn’t, Cas finally opened the door.

This time, the man was leaning back on his elbows, one knee bent and propped up while the other was spread wide, framing his lacy pink panties and what was contained within. The man held a long-stem rose between his teeth. Cas’s eyes widened. This was not what he had expected. He slammed the door again, and frantically dialed 911.

“Yes, hello? There is a strange man in my bedroom.”

“Oh come on!” came the call from within the room. “You called me! I’m just here for some fun!”

“I do not wish any of your ‘fun’, Mr. Naked Man!” Cas called back. “Ah. Yes. Yes, I am currently outside the bedroom door with a baseball bat and a can of mace.” Cas paused as he listened to the emergency operator. “Ah, yes, I suppose there is someplace further away from the door that I could go to. Very well.”

“Hey! Hey!” called the stranger. “Dude, okay, what do you want? Can we open the damn door and talk?”

Cas sighed, and opened the door. The man in the bedroom had grabbed a pillow and put it over his lap. “I am not sure what there is to talk about. You are a stranger, in my…”

Trailing off, Cas suddenly realized that the man on the bed had… horns, and what appeared to be a tail, flicking irritably beside him on the bed. Turning back to the phone, he cautiously spoke to the operator, “I’m very sorry, but it appears as though my brother has played a rather ill-advised prank on me. Thank you for your time.”

Hanging up, Cas turned back to the man on the bed, getting a better grip on the bat he still held. “This is my brother’s fault.”

The man on the bed grinned, apparently unconcerned about the weapon. “That’s better. I’m real sorry about falling asleep. Usually people are right there, or show up right away. And your bed was real comfy.”

“Memory foam. I am not sure why my brother put you up to this, but if you would find your clothing and please leave now,” Cas said.

“This is my clothing. Come on, you summoned _me_. Don’t you know how this works?” the man asked.

“I did no such… Goddammit. My brother _did_ do this. He’s clearly paying you to play along with the little ‘summoning’ he did last night with my blood,” Cas said, rolling his eyes.

“...wait. Your brother summoned me, but with your blood?” The man asked.

“Essentially. I suspect you were supposed to arrive in the basement at the party. Perhaps he gave you the wrong directions?” Cas suggested.

“The spell summons me to the summoner’s bed. I’m not entirely sure it would work any other way,” the man replied thoughtfully. 

“Right. Well. I apologize for my brother’s miscommunication, but again, not only did you not arrive where my brother expected you, but the whole reason he’s doing this is because he erroneously believes that I need to ‘get laid,’ a belief that I do not share,” Cas said. 

“You sure?” the man said, waggling his eyebrows. “I mean, even if it wasn’t your idea, I’m pretty hot stuff. I could definitely show you a good time.”

“Thank you, no,” Cas said firmly. “Now, if you would please collect your belongings, it appears that I have a mess in here to clean up.”

The man shook his head. “Buddy, I don’t really have the power to just poof away.”

“Of course not,” Cas replied. “I expected you to use the front door.”

The man burst into laughter. Cas just stared at him, unsure exactly how what he’d said was quite that funny, especially as the naked man kept laughing. Finally, the laughter drew to a close, and Cas raised an eyebrow. The man wiped tears from his eyes and grinned at Cas.

“We’re gonna have fun, I can tell. Come on, please?”

Rolling his eyes so hard his entire body moved with it, Cas stalked to the bed. The man perked up hopefully, moving the pillow from his lap. Absently, Cas made a note to himself to throw that pillowcase into the wash right away. 

“Come on, take the damn costume off and leave,” Cas said. Reaching out, Cas grabbed the tail part of the man’s costume and yanked hard. It didn’t come away like he was expecting it to.

“Hey! Gentle hands, gentle hands!” 

Cas stared at the man. “It’s...real?”

“Of course it’s real!” the man shouted, cradling his twitching tail and petting it gently. “Demon, remember?”

“...and… the horns?” Cas asked.

“Yes! Demon! _De. Mon._ Incubus, specifically, but the point is they’re very very real and I’d really prefer if you didn’t just yank on ‘em!” the man… demon… said.

“Uh. Excuse me. I think I need to call my brother,” Cas said, backing out of the bedroom and heading for the living room, leaving the… person behind. Pulling out his phone, he dialed Gabriel’s number. And then dialed it again and again, until Gabriel finally answered. 

“‘Ello?” came the groggy reply.

“Gabriel, you need to come collect your very convincingly costumed friend,” Cas said into the phone, trying not to sound panicked. This wasn’t helped when the ‘friend’ in question emerged from the bedroom in just his panties, horns, and tail, and proceeded to drape himself over Cas’s shoulders. Cas squeaked, suddenly very aware that he’d only gone to bed in his undershirt and boxers.

“My what now?” Gabriel asked. 

“Gabriel Richard Novak, if you do not get your friend…” Cas paused, realizing suddenly that he’d never gotten the man’s name. 

“Dean,” the man said from where he was leaning against Cas. He yawned and then lifted himself off of Cas. “I’m gonna go make breakfast, all right?”

“...Cassie! Was that…? Did my baby brother finally pop his cherry?” Gabriel’s voice came from the phone. It was far more lecherous than Cas felt it had any right to be.

“No. I need you to come get him now,” Cas replied, angrily attempting to shut down Gabriel’s teasing. 

It did not work. “Cassie, my buddy, my pal, my favorite brother, I do not know anyone by the name of ‘Dean.’ Not a single one. So whoever you spent the night with, that’s _all_ on you, Cassie-baby. Anyway, I got a bed-buddy of my own to get back to, so ta!”

Castiel pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it, confirming that Gabriel had hung up, and then sighed. He could still hear Dean in the kitchen, so he took this time to go to the bedroom. He found, when he got there, that all the various ‘romantic’ decorations had disappeared. It was a relief, to be honest, though he still stripped off the bed and pillowcases to throw into the wash. Deciding that his plan of yoga pants was shot as long as there was someone else in his place, Cas pulled out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. 

Once dressed, Cas followed the smell of bacon out to the kitchen, where he found Dean cooking breakfast. Normally, he might be grateful for this, but. Cas sighed. “Could you _please_ find some clothing?”

Dean shook his hips a bit, his tail swaying over his nearly bare behind. “I did!”

“An apron does not count as clothing,” Cas replied.

“But it sure makes me look hot!” Dean grinned as he turned, plating up the bacon and eggs he’d been cooking. “Hope you like scrambled eggs. I can do other things, but figured simple was better for now. Eat up!”

“Very well. If I do, would you _please_ go find some clothing? Take something of mine. Anything,” Cas said, standing well back from the table.

Dean sighed, but nodded. “Sure thing, buddy. I guess… You really don’t… I’ll just go to your room and find something, okay?”

Cas nodded, finally sitting down to the plate Dean had prepared. Dean left for the bedroom, while Cas began to eat. The food was actually really damn good, something Cas had not quite been expecting. He ate with gusto, and then got seconds from the pan. He smiled when Dean walked back in, wearing low-slung jeans and a band shirt Cas remembered from high school.

“This food is excellent!” he said. Dean grinned.

“You really think so?” Dean’s smile was almost shy, and Cas softened to him a bit.

“Yes. Are you going to culinary school?” Cas asked.

“Nah, incubus, remember? I just like food, that’s all,” Dean said, shrugging awkwardly.

“Would you… would you like to join me?” Cas asked. “You made plenty, and it wouldn’t be right if you didn’t eat too.”

Dean lit up. “Really?”

At Cas’s nod, Dean grabbed a plate and filled it with the rest of the food, sitting down across from Cas happily. He dug in, groaning at the first bite. “Damn, you’re right. I did good!”

They ate in silence, and when Cas finished he stood and grabbed his dishes and the pans, heading for the sink. 

“Oh, hey, I can do the dishes,” Dean said. “I made the mess after all.”

“Don’t be silly,” Cas said. “You cooked, I’ll clean.”

Dean looked unsure, and Cas smiled. “Honestly. I appreciate the meal, and this is my way of thanking you.”

Nodding, Dean finished his meal, and then cleared the rest of the table and brought the dishes over to the sink. With a gentle hip-check, Dean grabbed a clean cloth and began drying the dishes. Cas shook his head, amused at the gesture. It was easy to forget that Dean was a potentially dangerous home invader of possibly demonic origin when he smiled at Cas, leaning into his body heat. He didn’t argue, letting Dean help him finish up the chores. 

*****

After breakfast, Cas started a load of laundry, and then grabbed his laptop. He’d almost forgotten about Dean, when the incubus sat down on the couch next to him. Cas startled a bit, and then glanced over at Dean.

“Hey, so, you know my name, but I don’t really know yours,” Dean said hesitantly.

“Ah. I’m Castiel,” Cas said. “It’s… nice to meet you?”

Dean chuckled. “You don’t sound too sure about that.”

“I suppose that I am not,” Cas admitted. “You tell me that you’re an incubus, a demon… And your… accessories certainly seem real enough. But I must say I’m somewhat… skeptical of the whole situation. And if you _are_ a demon, that begs its own questions. For instance, has my brother doomed me to eternal torment for your arrival? That seems like a steep price for something I didn’t necessarily want in the first place.”

“Haaa, you really don’t know anything about this, huh?” Dean asked. Cas shook his head, and Dean sighed. “All right, so that whole eternal torment thing? Not my gig. We don’t eat your soul or anything like that. It’s more like… So sex is a bit like food, but only in that it kinda… brings to the forefront your passion, I guess is the way to put that. It’s kinda like skimming a bit off the top of your soul, I guess, but only the part that kinda expands out anyway. Grows right back.”

“So you _do_ eat souls,” Cas said.

“Okay fine, but it ain’t gonna do anything bad to you. It sure ain’t gonna send you to hell or anything like that. Doesn’t affect where you go when you die at all,” Dean said with a grimace. 

“That’s reassuring, I suppose. Assuming you actually are a demon,” Cas said.

“Hey, okay, so I know demon is a kind of generic term, but it’s not one I appreciate much. Can we stick with incubus, please?” Dean continued with Cas’s nod, “Anyway, you can see the horns. You already pulled my tail, which hurt by the way. What more do you want?”

“I’m not sure, honestly. This is just all... I suppose I am just struggling with this,” Cas admitted, looking down at his fingers on the keys of his laptop.

Dean leaned over against Cas. “I guess I can get that. Especially since you didn’t do the spell yourself.”

Cas shrugged, leaning back against Dean. “This is surprisingly comfortable. Anyway, can you do magic? Something?”

“I’ve got sex magic,” Dean said, giving Cas a leer. 

Rolling his eyes, Cas straightened up. “Right. I should have expected that. How do you go home, then?”

Sighing, Dean crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged. “Unfortunately, it’s a matter of power. I told you, we get power from your passion, right? From your soul. The summoning takes a little power from your blood, but mostly it’s coming from me. So I need a boost, so to speak.”

“This feels a lot like you’re just angling to force my hand in this,” Cas said, glaring at Dean.

“I mean, I got nothing going on back home, so it’s not like you gotta worry about anything like that,” Dean said. “I can wait until you’re ready. Bad breakup or something?”

“What? No. I’m asexual,” Cas said. He braced himself for the response.

“Asexual? What’s that?” Dean asked.

“It means I don’t feel sexual attraction. Specifically, I personally have a very low libido as well, and don’t see a need for a partner in what activities I might engage in,” Cas said.

“...So you’ve never had sex?” Dean asked.

“No.”

“Ever been in a relationship?” Dean leaned forward, wide-eyed.

“Not knowingly. I’ve had a couple of people inform me that they had been under the impression that we were ‘dating,’ but that was something they did without consulting me first. I doubt it counts,” Cas said.

Dean looked Cas over appraisingly. “Dude, you’re in your 20s. Prime time for sex galore. You seriously…?”

Cas rolled his eyes. “I would rather read a book.”

“All… right then…” Dean trailed off, staring at Cas in disbelief. Cas stood up, walking back to the kitchen, mostly to get away from Dean’s look. He’d seen it on people’s faces since he hit puberty, and it was just tiring. It was the look of someone who didn’t understand, and all too often that turned into someone who didn’t _want_ to understand. Cas didn’t want to watch that happen on Dean’s face. 

“Anyway, I’m sure if it’s just sex you need, my brother and his boyfriend would be happy to oblige. Gabriel has commented that Luke has been wanting to bring in a third for a while, and I suspect that someone like you would be non-threatening enough for Gabriel to feel comfortable,” Castiel said.

“...should you be telling me that?” Dean asked.

Cas shrugged. “If you are, in fact, the incubus you claim to be, then it doesn’t particularly matter what I tell you. And if you’re one of Gabriel’s friends playing an insanely elaborate prank, then it serves him right.”

“Okay, fair enough. I dunno about the whole threesome thing, though. I’ve never really been summoned to have sex with someone who’s not the summoner. I’m not sure how well that would work,” said Dean, thinking about it. “And I mean, I kinda like you, so.”

“That’s all well and good, but we’re not having sex, so,” Cas said. 

“What, don’t you like me?” Dean asked, sounding affronted. 

“You’re tolerable, I suppose,” Cas conceded.

“Ha! I knew it! I’m adorable,” Dean replied with a wink. Cas rolled his eyes, attempting to hide his amusement. He wasn’t honestly sure how well he did, since Dean was still grinning. 

*****

The weekend went by more quickly than Cas was expecting it to. He begged off Sunday dinner with the excuse that he was sick, something that happened rarely enough his mother didn’t question it. Cas suspected that Gabriel would have something to say about that eventually, but he was hoping to avoid it for a while. He and Dean had fallen into a mostly comfortable arrangement where Dean slept on the couch, and they spent most of the days together. Dean was fascinated by a show that was apparently marathoning most of Sunday called Doctor Sexy, and Cas was pretty sure by the end of the day Dean had a more intimate knowledge of the characters on that show than Cas had with his final paper. 

It was comfortable, in a weird sort of way. So when Cas left for class and work on Monday, he was expecting to come back to the same camaraderie he’d come to enjoy over the weekend. 

What he was not expecting, when he opened his front door, was to be presented with Dean, wearing a different pair of panties that apparently lacked a back, with a… toy, of some sort, inside of him, leaning over the kitchen counter in presentation. Dean looked over his shoulder with a smirk on his face. 

“Hey big boy,” Dean purred.

Cas growled, suddenly furious. Dean’s face fell, going from flirty to unsure, and he straightened, turning around to reveal that his underwear did have a front to cover at least some of his modesty.

Dropping his things at the door, Cas stalked up to Dean, barely registering the incubus’s cringing. Stripping off his jacket, he shoved it at Dean, still glaring as Dean meekly pulled the jacket around his shoulders. 

“This was completely inappropriate and disrespectful and I will not have someone in my house who will do this. Get dressed, now,” he said. Then Cas turned and grabbed his bag, and went to his bedroom, slamming the door shut. He didn’t come back out that night.

*****

Dean was confused. He’d been summoned to Cas’s bedroom, that much he knew. And it wasn’t some gentle, easy summoning. Incubi were summoned based on compatibility and need, unless the summoner knew their True Name. A summoning caused a ‘tug’ of sorts, that echoed throughout every incubus and succubus. If the compatibility and need were low, the ‘tug’ was gentle, sometimes barely even present. If the compatibility and need were high, the ‘tug’ was fierce and strong. It varied from incubus to incubus, all depending on the summoner. Most ‘tugs’ were somewhere in between, and strong summonings were rare, nearly unheard of.

The thing was, Dean’s summoning had been so strong Dean had been nearly knocked blind. He’d arrived to Cas’s bed excited, and upon realizing he was alone, had decided to make everything perfect. This was the kind of summoning that happened once in a lifetime, and Dean had been desperate to make a good impression. So he’d decorated, and as time passed he’d decorated more, trying to make everything perfect.

And then he’d met Cas. And dear lord, Cas was perfect. Dean hadn’t seen him naked yet, but he could tell from what he’d seen that the man was built in all the right places. And he didn’t take any guff from Dean, something Dean was unused to in his summonings. Sure, most people took charge, and he was happy to let them, but they reacted to his flirting. Cas… didn’t. And something about that made Dean happy.

But he also needed to get this job done and get home, eventually. The weekend had been nice, but when he said he didn’t have any plans for the foreseeable future, he was still kind of expecting to go home sometime this week. So he’d gotten himself all prepped and ready and put on a great show, and Cas had…

Well, Cas had been angry, and honestly kind of terrifying. In a hot sort of way, but Dean didn’t particularly want to see it again. At least, not directed at him. He sighed. Clearly he was going to need some help on this, and that meant calling home. Sam was the touchy-feely one, he’d probably have some experience with this. Well, perhaps not this particular situation, but Sam could logic his way through anything. Dean had no doubt that Sammy would have a solution for this.

Pulling down a tupperware bowl and filling it with water and a pinch of salt, Dean spoke a few words over the bowl and waved his hand over it. After a moment, Sam’s face materialized in the bowl, replacing Dean’s reflection.

“Dude, what’s up with the scrying? You could just walk here,” Sam said in lieu of a greeting.

“Uh, well, that’s kind of a funny story…” Dean said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“...Dean, what the hell did you get yourself into?” Sam asked, bordering on anger.

“Hey hey, this isn’t my fault, okay? Dude’s brother summoned me using his blood, and dude doesn’t want to do the do,” Dean said, defensive. “I prettied the bed up the first night, but he wasn’t into it. I tried, you know… some presentation, but dude just got angry.”

Sam’s face was a sight to behold, and in any other case Dean would have been reveling in it, but honestly he had more important things to worry about. Like whether or not he was going to be in trouble if he couldn’t wrap this up quickly. Dad had never been a big fan of letting Dean wander too far, and Dean was sure that a weekend in the human world playing house would not go over well. John was a big one for getting the job done and getting back to the family.

“Okay, first, way way too much information. Second, well. Maybe he’s just shy? You do kinda come on pretty strong,” Sam said. 

“I mean, I’m an incubus. People only want me around for one reason, Sammy,” Dean said with a smirk.

Sam rolled his eyes, “You need to stop listening to Dad when he says shit like that.”

“It’s not like it’s not true. Anyway, how do I deal with shy, Sam? I’ve already been gone three days. Dad’s gonna kill me if I’m gone much longer,” Dean grumbled. 

“I’ll take care of Dad. You’re an adult, he doesn’t need to hover over you so damn much,” Sam said. “You focus on Mr. Shy. Maybe just spend some time getting to know him. If he didn’t summon you, he’s probably just reluctant. Maybe you can just reassure him, you know?”

“Yeah, sure. I guess he’s never really had a relationship before, he said, so… That makes sense,” Dean said. 

“Damn, how old is this guy? You’re not trying to romance some fifteen-year-old, are you?” Sam asked. 

“Hey, no, give me some credit here, Sammy! The dude’s like mid-twenties, just inexperienced,” Dean said.

“Well, that explains why his brother summoned you, anyway. Yeah, I’d just go slow. Dad will deal. And you can enjoy the break, you know? I know Dad has you running off to every summons you get,” Sam said. 

Dean nodded. “All right. You promise you’ll handle Dad?”

Sam grinned and nodded. “No problem. Have fun.”

*****

The next morning Dean got up a bit early and began digging through the kitchen. An apology meal was in order, and that meant pancakes. Dean managed to pull together apple cinnamon pancakes with a side of bacon. By the time he’d gotten enough made for two people, Cas appeared from out of the bedroom, bedhead wild. Dean smiled over at him softly. 

“Hey. Pancakes?”

Cas eyed him. Dean shrugged. He’d found a pair of sweatpants and a soft shirt to wear, hoping it was coverage enough for Cas. Apology pancakes wouldn’t work if he didn’t show that he knew what he’d done wrong. Dean felt a little sheepish, not used to being this fully clothed around humans, and a little worried that maybe this wouldn’t be enough. 

After a moment, Cas stepped forward to the table and sat down. Dean filled a plate and dropped it down in front of him. Cas stared down at the food. “...is my food smiling at me?”

Dean grinned at the whipped cream and bacon face he’d created on the pancake stack. “Sure is! Ain’t it great?”

Cas chuckled and picked up his fork. “I suppose I can’t turn that down.”

Grabbing his own plate, Dean sat down across from Cas. They ate in silence for several moments, before Dean finally cleared his throat. 

“Hey man, I just… I gotta apologize for yesterday. I honestly… I just wanted to help you get over your--” Dean stopped when Cas raised his hand. 

“I suspect I know what you wanted, and it’s frustrating, because it means you don’t understand exactly why what you did was a problem,” Cas said. “But you are an incubus, and even my family and friends don’t understand, so I will try to be more tolerant as well. So apology accepted.”

Dean grinned. “Good. Good. Great. I will… I will do better.”

Cas shrugged, and kept eating. “This is very good.”

*****

Dean spent the week on the couch. Whenever Cas wasn’t in class or at work, Cas joined him. Cas did not have a large selection of movies, but he had a Roku box to stream things. Netflix was easy enough, but Cas had also fallen in love with a public domain streaming channel, with tons of old black and white movies, cartoons, and most especially, public service announcements. They spent their time alternating between introducing Dean to modern movies, and laughing over movies from decades ago. 

They started the week on opposite ends of the couch, but by the next weekend they’d shifted to lying alongside each other. Dean had let Cas initiate at first, but once it was clear that Cas didn’t mind platonic touching, Dean had not bothered to hold back. He draped over Cas when Cas did homework, helping where he could and sometimes just getting excited over what Cas was doing. Dean had always been a handsy fellow, but the fact that he didn’t have to worry about cuddles turning into a performance was more appealing than he’d ever thought.

Which was why it was somewhat upsetting when, while doing the breakfast dishes on Friday after Cas had left for work, his soapy sink water cleared to reveal Sam’s reflection.

“Hey Dean! How’s things going?” Sam said, just a bit too brightly. 

“Fine…” Dean said. He was suspicious. There was something not quite right about Sam’s demeanor.

“Good, good. Say, any idea when you’ll be getting back? Dad’s beginning to get a bit anxious, is all,” Sam said. 

“He’s there, isn’t he? Dad put you up to this,” Dean said flatly.

Sam’s face fell. “Okay, kinda. He’s not here, but he was. And he was angrier than I’ve seen him since Mom died. I don’t know how, but somehow he knows you’re not having sex, and he’s ready to come after you. I’m keeping him occupied for now, but it’s not gonna last much longer. Any chance you can convince your shy friend soon?”

Dean sighed. He couldn’t tell Sam that he didn’t want to finish the deal. Of course he wanted to. He was an incubus. “Oh, yeah, definitely. No problem.”

Sam didn’t comment on Dean’s tone, which made Dean hope Sam hadn’t noticed. 

*****

Cas grinned as he got home. He’d had a chance to stop by the mall on his way home, where he’d picked up a DVD compendium of westerns for cheap, and on a whim, a cowboy hat. Dean had found the westerns section of the public domain channel, and Cas had been amused by how fascinated Dean had been. Cas had suggested Dean wearing a hat before to go out, but Dean had complained that Cas’s beanies weren’t ‘cool’ enough. Personally, Cas thought the cowboy movies contrived and rather derogatory to minorities, and wouldn’t have been caught dead in a cowboy hat. Something about Dean’s joy regarding them, though, made the purchase worth it. 

He walked through the front door and noticed that there was no sign of Dean. The dishes were washed and put away, and the bedding that Dean used in the evenings was folded neatly on the couch. Cas had gotten somewhat used to having Dean around, so it was odd that he wasn’t sitting on the couch or in the kitchen

“Dean?” Cas called.

“In here!” came the response from the bedroom. 

Cas frowned. Dean didn’t spend a lot of time in Cas’s bedroom, though since he was sharing Cas’s clothing he wasn’t unwelcome. Cas set the bag with the DVD pack down on the couch and took the hat with him to the bedroom. He could hear music coming from his room as he got closer. It was a classic rock ballad, something Cas recognized as one of Dean’s favorites.

Opening the door, Cas walked in to find Dean, fully clothed, dancing to the music. Cas chuckled. “I got you something,” he said, holding up the hat.

Dean lit up, dancing his way over to Cas. “Seriously? This is for me?”

Cas nodded and Dean snatched it up, placing it carefully on his head. After checking the fit meticulously, Dean turned and gave Cas an exaggerated wink and tipped his hat. “Howdy little lad.”

Chuckling, Cas gave Dean a lazy salute. Dean swaggered around the room, mimicking the wide stance of a cowboy just off his horse. Making his way back to Cas, Dean wrapped his arms around Cas’s neck. Cas couldn’t help smiling at his antics, gently resting his hands at Dean’s hips.

“Dance with me, pardner?” Dean asked in his preposterous western accent.

Amused, Cas nodded, letting Dean move him in time to the power ballads still going on in the background. He’d never gone to a school dance, having no interest in the implications they had. He’d heard of people who went with friends, but all of his friends had paired off. Gabriel had offered to set him up, but Cas had not been keen on that. He was finding that dancing like this was actually quite nice. 

As the songs changed, Cas found Dean edging ever so slightly closer. They’d started with some distance between them, but before long Dean had his head down on Cas’s shoulder, their bodies pressed together tightly as they rocked from side to side. Eventually, Dean’s hat slid, forcing Dean to pull it off and toss it towards the bed. Cas relaxed into Dean’s arms, resting his cheek against Dean’s hair. 

“Thank you for the hat, Cas,” Dean said from his position on Cas’s shoulder.

“I’m pleased that you like it,” Cas said, wrapping his arms around Dean’s waist and giving him a squeeze.

Dean pulled his head up, looking at Cas hesitantly. Cas cocked his head.

“Dean? Is everything okay?” he asked.

For a long moment they simply stared at each other, Cas quiet as he read fear, hesitancy, and something else in Dean’s face. Dean finally closed his eyes, dropping his head to rest his forehead against Cas’s. 

“I’ve never known anyone like you,” Dean said.

Cas pulled Dean tighter against him, no longer moving to the music. “Is that a good thing?”

Dean huffed a laugh. “Yeah, Cas. It’s a good thing. I just… No one except my brother really ever… just did things like this for me, y’know? And you just…”

Tucking his finger under Dean’s chin, Cas lifted Dean’s face, forcing him to meet his eyes. “You don’t think you deserve good things?”

With a shrug, Dean buried his face in Cas’s neck. Cas smiled softly, moving his hand up and into Dean’s hair, gently holding Dean in place. Once again, he began swaying from side to side, no longer in time to the music. Now it was simply to comfort Dean. They stood that way for a long time, until finally Dean pulled back, smiling sheepishly.

“This wasn’t how I expected tonight to go,” Dean said.

“Oh?”

“Nothing. Don’t worry about it. Uh, I put together some cold food trays and things for sandwiches,” Dean said. “You hungry?”

“Starving,” Cas replied. “Why don’t you grab the food, and I’ll set up the DVD player. I picked up something fun for tonight.”

Dean went red and nodded, dashing off toward the kitchen. Cas shook his head. Moving to the CD player, he stopped the music. Looking around, he found the cowboy hat on the floor beside the bed. Picking it up, he noticed something under the bed. There, tucked just out of sight, was a big bouquet of flowers. Cas sighed. He had a funny feeling that Dean’s plans for the evening had involved a seduction. He was glad, at least, that Dean seemed to have scrapped that plan.

The flowers would die if left under the bed, though, so Cas pulled them out. When he walked by the kitchen, he set them on the counter. “Vases are above the microwave, if you want to put these into water.”

Cas waited until he was walking away to smirk at the frozen, almost fearful look on Dean’s face. Picking up the DVD compendium, he scanned the titles. Each DVD was double-sided, with multiple movies on each side. With a shrug, he put one in at random, navigating to the menu just as Dean sat a tray on the coffee table, filled with sliced meats, cheeses, crackers, bread, and other finger foods and sandwich fixings.

“We have several options here, it seems. I doubt any of these movies are particularly well-known,” Cas said as Dean sat down. He glanced over at Dean. The incubus seemed tense, sitting at the opposite end of the couch stiffly. With a sigh, he grabbed Dean’s arm and pulled him closer, causing the incubus to squawk as he was pulled over sideways. “I’m not angry. I don’t really understand what your motivations are, but you didn’t follow through on your plans. And I don’t mind getting flowers. Though I do prefer sunflowers over roses.”

Dean looked up at Cas’s smirk, and finally smiled hesitantly. After a moment, he resituated himself so that he was leaning against Cas’s side. “Thanks Cas.”

*****

“Are you sure you wouldn’t prefer a more… subtle hat?” Cas asked, giving Dean a once-over.

Dean was wearing an old pair of Cas’s jeans, which hugged his hips just a touch too tight. It meant that, if Dean’s shirt were untucked, his tummy fell over the jeans in the tiniest of muffin-tops, a fact that Dean had not appreciated Cas pointing out. Dean had found a shirt that was loose enough to hide it, though Cas thought that was a shame. He may not have found it sexually appealing, but there was something aesthetically pleasing about the human body’s imperfections, especially in a being designed to be the ultimate sex appeal. Over that, he’d grabbed a button-up corduroy shirt that Cas typically wore in the winter. Cas chuckled at the layering, though he hadn’t meant to upset Dean. Dean had grabbed an old pair of Cas’s sneakers, and topped the whole outfit off with the cowboy hat that Cas had bought him. His tail was tucked down one of his pant legs, and the hat covered his horns, so that hopefully Dean would blend in.

“No way! This is awesome! What do you think? Am I hot?” Dean asked, spinning in place.

Cas rolled his eyes. “Yes, Dean, you are very handsome. I suppose we are ready to go then?”

Giving Cas an odd look, Dean nodded. “Yeah, sure. So we’re going on a date?”

“If that’s what you’d like to call it, yes. I planned for pizza, and if you like a movie afterwards. There are several options,” Cas said.

“If I want to call it that? What would you call it, then?” Dean asked.

“’Date’ implies a romantic and sexual relationship. I don’t mind the first, but have no real desire for the second, especially from a person I’ve only recently met,” Cas said. Then he amended his words when he saw Dean’s face fall. “I simply mean that most humans feel that having sex after only a few dates is normal, possibly even mandatory, and that sexual contact in general is something that should happen quickly. I… have a difficult time with that mentality, and would rather not date most people.”

“But this can be a date if I want?” Dean pressed.

“Yes,” Cas said, “if you like.”

Dean grinned silently, rubbing the back of his neck. Cas gestured for the door, following Dean out as he headed outside the apartment for the first time since he’d arrived.

*****

Dean was in awe of the outside world. Generally, when he was summoned, he got a quick glance of the summoner’s bedroom, possibly their clothing style, and then it was down to business. He rarely stayed long enough after the deed was done to learn much about the world outside of the summoner’s bedroom. Cas had already opened his eyes to so much just from inside his apartment, so discovering the world outside of it was just… almost more than Dean could imagine.

His cooking was somewhat tied to his magic, much like his ability to conjure up flowers and candles. Things that were tied to seduction were things he could either magically create, or learn so quickly it was nearly innate. Cooking was one of the few things that Dean had discovered that he could do through his magic that he loved simply for the joy of doing it. It had never been a means to an end for him, not like other skills he’d acquired.

Coming out into the world, Dean found himself somewhat at a loss. Cas may have been willing to call this a date, but there weren’t the same rules about this. Cas had been fairly explicit that this wasn’t going to result in sex at the end, so Dean’s magic wasn’t giving him any hints. But Cas was smiling softly at him, and Dean couldn’t help being happy in this situation. He was at a loss for what to do, completely out of his element, and he couldn’t remember being happier.

Cas took him by the hand, giving Dean’s hand a squeeze as they walked into the restaurant. The hostess led them to a table in a corner, and set the menus on opposite sides of the table. Dean paused. He and Cas sat across from each other at home, but there it was intimate to do so, the only real time they had an excuse to just stare at each other. But here, surrounded by people, with a much larger table between them, Dean found he didn’t want to sit across from Cas. So when Cas sat down, Dean sat down on the same bench, ignoring Cas’s questioning look.

The waitress didn’t give them a second glance, handing both men their menus. Cas had chosen an upscale pizza restaurant over a cheap place that also did deliveries. It meant that while the pizza options did include things like pepperoni and sausage, there were other, fancier options. Dean scanned through the menu, unsure. Cas had promised that this would be a fun place to eat, but Dean was a little overwhelmed. He’d had delivery pizza before, both with Cas and with other people when the occasion called for it, but this was artisanal crap that he didn’t understand at all.

Apparently taking pity on him, Cas reached over and grabbed his hand. “It’s okay if you want something simple. I just wanted to give you something you haven’t had before, that wasn’t too foreign. We can order a few things and share, if you like.”

Dean nodded slowly, gripping Cas’s hand tightly. He had never actually been in this position before. Previous summoners hadn’t necessarily offered Dean options in food, or if they had, they’d tended to prefer that Dean concede to their desires. He’d never really had a problem with that; after all his job was to please the summoner. But Cas didn’t want that. Cas wanted…

He wasn’t sure what Cas wanted, to be honest. Sitting there, holding Cas’s hand as he looked over the menu, Dean couldn’t say what he thought Cas wanted from him. But he knew it wasn’t what everyone else wanted from him. 

When the waitress came back, Cas ordered a mushroom pepperoni pizza, fish tacos, and something called a club pizza. He also ordered a spinach artichoke dip to come out first, along with two regular sodas. Dean thought it sounded like an huge amount of food given that there were only two of them, but Cas didn’t seem to care about that. He hushed Dean when Dean tried to argue, so Dean just laid his head on Cas’s shoulder and let the man order.

The waitress giggled as Cas finished, looking at the two of them. “I just have to say, you guys are so cute!”

Dean blushed, and Cas shook his head. “I told him that the cowboy hat was too much, but he insisted.”

She giggled again and promised to get their food out to them shortly. Dean sat up after she left, but pulled his hat down to hide his face. 

“If you’re attempting to look inconspicuous, I’m sorry to say that the cowboy hat makes that rather impossible,” Cas said. “The whole restaurant has been staring at you since we arrived.”

“What really?” Dean said, looking around. Sure enough, half the restaurant was attempting to be discreet as they stared at Dean. Dean winked at the crowd and waved, before leaning back against Cas. 

Before long their appetizer came out, a cheesy dip placed in the middle of a nest of tortilla chips. At Cas’s urging, Dean tried a bite, and discovered that it was actually extremely good. He ignored Cas’s indulgent look as he proceeded to scoop giant mouthfuls of dip onto each chip. “This is amazing!”

Cas laughed. “I hoped you would like it. It’s one of my favorites.”

Dean’s face dropped. “But. But you haven’t had hardly any! Here!” 

With that, Dean scooped up a bite on a new chip and held it up to Cas’s mouth. Cas rolled his eyes, but opened his mouth, allowing Dean to feed him. Dean grinned, delighted. 

“I have had this several times,” Cas said after he’d finished the bite. “But this is your first time. Eat as much as you want. I am happy to eat whatever you don’t want.” 

Blushing, Dean nodded. He checked regularly with Cas, but the man seemed happy enough to snag a chip every now and then, content to watch Dean eat with a smile that Dean couldn’t translate. To hide his general confusion about the whole matter, Dean fed every third bite or so to Cas. It made Cas smile, and that made Dean happy.

Halfway through the appetizer, the waitress brought out three plates with their meals. One plate had a pizza that was not terribly different from anything Dean had had before. Another plate contained the tacos, far fancier than Dean had eaten before but still recognizable. The third plate looked like it had a salad on top of a pizza. Dean looked that over quizzically. Cas thanked the waitress and turned to Dean.

“Try everything, Dean. Eat whatever makes you happiest,” Cas said. He picked up a piece of the salad pizza and began to eat. 

Dean examined everything, finally picking up one of the fish tacos and taking a bite. It was far more delicious than it had any right to be, and Dean had eaten the whole taco before he’d realized it. The pepperoni pizza, though appealing, was not as interesting as Cas’s salad pizza. He picked up a piece of that, and took a bite. It was surprisingly good, but it was difficult to keep the toppings on the pizza. 

He ended up sticking with the fish tacos, polishing them off without actually sharing any with Cas. Dean started to apologize when he realized, but Cas just shrugged it off. Cas then dropped a piece of the salad pizza onto Dean’s plate, and Dean ate another piece of that, before he finally sat back and shook his head. 

“I can’t eat anymore,” Dean said. 

“Not even for dessert? I hear they have a delicious pumpkin cream pie,” Cas said, raising an amused eyebrow.

“Oh. Well. There’s always room for pie,” Dean said, grinning back. Cas nodded and had the waitress box up the untouched pepperoni mushroom pizza and the rest of the salad pizza before bringing out a single piece of the pumpkin cream pie and two clean forks. Cas pushed the plate towards Dean.

“We can share, right?” Dean asked.

Nodding, Cas picked up a fork, and took a bite. Dean mimicked, moaning around his bite. Between the two of them, they managed to polish off the pie quickly. The waitress dropped off their check while they were eating, and Cas snatched it up before Dean got a chance to look at it. Dean was curious, but also fairly sure that seeing the total would just upset him. Cas was so determined not to let Dean see it, though, that Dean couldn’t bring himself to try. When they left, still holding hands, Dean tipped his cowboy hat to the rest of the patrons, causing several of them to giggle. Cas had him out the door before anyone could notice his blush.

*****

Dean was determined to do something for Cas that would make up for the stupid shit Dean had done, and show Cas how awesome he was. Dean wasn’t sure Cas _really_ understood how amazing he was. Dean had never been summoned by someone who just wanted to spend time with him. He’d never even been around someone like that at all. Sammy spent time time with him, sure, but once he’d gotten old enough, it wasn’t cool anymore to hang out with his big brother. Besides, Sammy was the smart one, who was summoned for things like helping victims find justice and comfort, judging the wicked, and granting solace to grieving families. 

Dean, on the other hand, was summoned for sex. Dad always said that incubus were the basest of the Netherworld’s residents. Hell-demons, cast into the depths long ago, were lower of course, but they only rarely broke through the barrier separating the worlds. Dean’s mother, Mary, had been a succubus, but she’d been different, according to Dad. She’d been loyal and intelligent, as well as beautiful, and could never be placed in the same category as Dean. John had made it clear that Dean had never and would never overcome what he’d been born as, not once he’d allowed Mary to be kidnapped and murdered when he was four. 

Sammy had been allowed to go off and make his own way, mostly. Dad hadn’t been happy about it, had kept Dean closer afterwards, but once Sam had left, Dad had seemed almost to shrug and get over it. At the time, there’d been a lot of angry words, Dad telling Sam that if he left he could never come back and dumb shit like that. But after a few months, one of Sam’s messages to Dean had been intercepted by Dad, and Dad had responded as though nothing had happened. Sam took longer to come around, and still was highly distrustful of their father.

Dean had never left John. He’d entertained thoughts of it once, that after Sam was grown and off on his own, Dean could get away as well. He hadn’t expected Dad to be so angry at Sam’s departure, nor to keep Dean on such a tight leash afterwards. Dean chalked it up to fear of loss. After all, Mary’s death had affected him intensely, making him guarded, vengeful, and controlling. Though he had always been somewhat caustic, his demeanor had become extreme after losing his wife.

Where Dean had taken after Mary, born an incubus to her succubus, Sam and John were both what was known as Vices, though humanity had a warped and limited view as to what that was. Sam was a Justice Vice, called to deal with inequality and the lack of balance. John was a Wrath Vice, and though he was often summoned for the same reasons Sam might be, John handled more vengeance and and retaliation. Sam might choose not to take action in a summoning if there had already been adequate repayment, but John did not care if the culprit had already seen proper justice. He dealt revenge, even if the outcome far outweighed the original wrongdoing. 

This was the longest Dean had been away from John since his mother had died. Dean knew that John must miss him, and was likely roaring mad that Dean was being held here so long. John encouraged Dean to take on every summoning he felt, no matter how mild the tug might be. It was all, John felt, that Dean was good for after all. But he expected Dean back quickly. The energy that Dean got from sex was great, but it never seemed to last, while John was only summoned once in a great while, but was always overflowing with energy.

It was nice, he thought, to be able to relax like this. To not worry about where John would send him next, or what his dad’s mood might be that day. He’d have a hell of a time when he eventually went back, he was sure, but for now, Dean could enjoy this. 

He’d felt his power slowly draining while he’d been here. Sometimes it’d been obvious, like when he’d brought the flowers and candles into being in his various attempts at seduction. Most of the time, there’d been no obvious reason for it. It was varied, not a steady stream but an intermittent burst of energy popping and fading away. So when he felt the draining begin while he was making burgers for Cas, he didn’t think much of it. 

When he felt his hands begin to shake, Dean paused and stared down. The amount of power leaving him was larger than it had been before, pulling and pulling. He felt his knees go weak. His last conscious act was to reach for the knob to turn the stove off. 

*****

Cas opened the door to a roiling cloud of smoke and a shrieking smoke detector. In a panic, he dropped his things at the door and charged into the kitchen. He tripped over something as he got to the stove, shutting off the flame and dumping the burning mess of charcoaled pan into the sink with running water. The smoke was thick, and Cas had no idea if Dean was still in the apartment.

“Dean? Dean!” he called, coughing against the smoke. A low moan brought him back to the kitchen, where he found Dean on the floor by the stove. Only somewhat relieved, he pulled Dean up and dragged him into the bedroom, where the door had been shut and the smoke hadn’t gotten in. He managed to get Dean up onto the bed, and then left the bedroom, shutting the door again to keep the smoke out. 

Once out in the main apartment, Cas began opening windows to the outside, and dug out the fans to set up to blow the smoke out. While he was doing that, he fielded a phone call from the apartment manager wanting to know what had happened, and several from upset and concerned neighbors. He explained as best he could without giving away Dean’s existence. When the smoke cleared enough to be safe, he shut off the smoke detectors. 

When everything was finally taken care of as best as Cas could, he put his things from school and work away and then dashed for the bedroom. There, he found Dean exactly where he’d left him, not even having shifted enough to look comfortable. Cas wasn’t entirely sure what to do, though. Dean wasn’t human, and Cas had no desire for Dean to end up some research project for an ambitious doctor. 

Taking a deep breath, Cas shifted Dean around until the incubus was on his back. He unsnapped Dean’s jeans and pulled off his pants, leaving the loose t-shirt and boxers on. With some effort, he was able to get Dean under the covers. Cas stood there for a moment, staring down at the incubus he’d come to think of as a friend. He wasn’t sure how else he could help. Dropping to his knees, he took Dean’s hand and held it to his lips. 

“Tell me how to help you, Dean. I don’t… What happened? How…?” he begged the unconscious incubus.

To his surprise, Dean stirred slightly. “Cas?” 

Cas jerked his head up. “Dean? Dean are you okay?”

“Yeah man, I’m… What…?” Dean’s voice was slurred, and he couldn’t seem to quite focus on Cas.

“I came home and found you passed out. You’re in my bed now. It’s gonna be okay. I need to know what I can do to help you,” Cas said. “I need… I don’t want you to… please tell me how I can help you.”

Dean shrugged. “Just stay. Don’t leave me, Cas”

Nodding, Cas stripped off his own jeans and shimmied his way into the bed next to Dean. Within seconds, Dean had shifted to plaster himself against Cas. Pulling Dean in closer, Cas sighed into the incubus’s hair. He was going to take care of Dean. He wasn’t going to let anything more happen to him. This being, human or not, was too important to him.

*****

Cas blinked his eyes open the next morning to the unusual feeling of weight across his chest and thighs. Even as a child, he’d never needed to share a bed with anyone, and so it took him a couple of minutes to work out exactly what was going on. When he did, he looked down at the dark blonde hair under his chin and frowned. Dean was… more important to him than he’d realized, certainly, but. More immediately, there was something wrong with him. Cas had no idea what, or even how to find out, but he knew that he had to, before Dean… 

The incubus shifted against him, causing Cas to instinctively tense up. With a moan, Dean stretched, though only a little, and nuzzled back into Cas’s chest.

“Dean?” Cas asked. Dean grumbled something under his breath and then slowly raised his head. It took a few moments for his eyes to focus, but when they did, he smiled down at Cas.

“Hey, babe,” Dean said. “What… Where am I?”

Cas breathed a sigh of relief. “You’re in my bed. I got home yesterday and found you passed out on the kitchen floor with the smoke detectors going. What happened?”

“I’m not…” Dean started, and then shook his head. “I was cooking dinner, and I felt… I’ve never really been able to hold onto my energy. It’s always faded away. I felt it start to go, and then I got weak, and I wanted to turn off the stove but…”

“Oh Dean,” Cas said, pulling him close. “I got you. What can I do? I…”

Cas stumbled to a stop. He didn’t want to offer ‘anything,’ because he knew what that would imply, and Cas… couldn’t. He had feelings for Dean, a level of undefined feelings that Cas didn’t quite know how to name or describe. But there were still some things… Cas wasn’t sure he was ready for those things. If he did… certain things, he thought he’d want to do them with Dean. But even still…

“It’s kinda weird. I’m feeling better now. Not sure…” Dean said, interrupting Cas’s thoughts. “Pretty sure I need to piss, though.”

“All right,” Cas nodded. “I’ll help you then.”

“Whoa whoa, a man can handle his own, you know!” Dean said, sounding scandalized. 

Raising an eyebrow, Cas shook his head. “Let’s see you stand up then.”

Defiantly, Dean pushed himself up off of Cas’s chest and into a sitting position. There he sat for a long moment, eyes glazed and swaying gently. Cas sat up with him, watching carefully.

“See,” Dean said. “I can do--oof!”

Cas caught the incubus as he tipped over. “I see,” he said, amused. “But if you could entertain me, I’d like to help you anyway.”

Dean protested, but Cas manhandled him up and into the bathroom. Blushing and fumbling, Dean managed to get his boxers down and Cas looked away politely while Dean relieved himself. So he was relatively surprised to hear a stranger’s voice echoing from in front of Dean.

“Dean! Dean, is that… Dammit!” came the voice.

“Sammy, what the hell?!” Dean screeched. 

“Can you put that thing away?” ‘Sammy’ said from the direction of, apparently, the toilet bowl.

“It’s your own damn fault, jackass! What were you thinking, scrying through the damn toilet?!” Dean yelled back.

“I was thinking that it’s a damn emergency and this is the first scryable water you’ve been near since yesterday!” came ‘Sammy’s’ disembodied voice.

Cas shifted his grip on Dean, pulling Dean’s boxers back up over his hips and then peeking over Dean’s shoulder. In the bowl of the toilet, he saw a face floating in a cleared center of the water, surrounded by a yellow aura Cas didn’t want to think too hard about. ‘Sammy’ was a younger demon, curling horns protruding from his long floppy hair.

Unlike Dean, ‘Sammy’s’ horns were large and would never be hidden under a hat. His eyes were hazel and his hair darker than Dean’s, but most striking was the makeup he appeared to be wearing around his eyes. Black outlined the outer edges of ‘Sammy’s’ eyes, making his eyes look larger and darker. 

‘Sammy’ seemed just as startled to see Cas as Cas was to see him. “Uh, Dean? Who’s that?”

Dean sighed, leaning back against Cas. “Sam, this is Castiel, my… summoner. Cas, this is Sam, my little brother.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Sam,” Cas said, adjusting his grip on Dean. “However, I think perhaps that this exact moment is not the best to be having a serious discussion. Are you able to… ‘call back’ in a few moments? I would be happy to find another bowl of water if that is what you require?”

“Ah. Yeah. Yeah, okay, Cas. That would work. Dean can tell you what you need. I’ll… call back,” Sam said, blinking at Cas.

“Thank you. Dean will be in touch shortly,” Cas said, and reached around Dean, flushing the toilet.

“Cas!!” Dean cried, watching his brother’s face swirl away.

“What? How else are you supposed to hang up a toilet bowl?” Cas asked.

“I…” Dean stuttered, and then shook his head. “Alright, well, uh. Thanks. I think.”

“You’re welcome. Let’s get you back to bed now,” Cas said. Between the two of them, they were able to maneuver Dean back into bed. Dean gave Cas instructions for how to make a simple scrying bowl, and Cas brought Dean a glass of water and a sandwich before he put together the bowl. Finally, he sat next to Dean, pulling the incubus against his side so that he could hold the bowl for Dean. Dean sighed, but he was still too shaky to hold the bowl himself. Cas was prepared to argue, but it seemed that Dean was finally willing to accept his limitations, at least in this.

After a moment of snuggling to find their most comfortable configuration, Dean waved a hand over the bowl and muttered under his breath. After a moment, Sam’s face swirled to the surface.

“Hey bitch. Nice seeing you,” Dean said, grinning at the bowl. Cas looked over at him aghast.

“Hey jerk. Are you… cuddling? Is that…?” Sam raised an eyebrow at Dean and Cas.

“Dean is very weak right now, Sam. He collapsed last night and nearly died,” Cas said.

“Come on, man, it wasn’t that bad,” Dean interrupted.

“If I had not come home when I did, the stove likely would have caught fire, Dean. I doubt you could have survived that,” Cas replied.

“Okay, fine, so it was that bad. You didn’t have to tell Sammy about it though,” Dean grumbled, but he settled closer against Cas. Sam seemed to boggle at this.

“I’m sorry, but he needs to know. Sam, do you know of anything that would be able to drain Dean’s power to the point of collapse? I fear he is ill, and I… am not sure how to help him,” Cas said.

“Drain? I don’t think so. That’s not really how his magic should work,” Sam said thoughtfully. “From what I understand of incubi, they get their energy from the sex they have, and then retain it for use later. There shouldn’t be any drainage. That’s big magic, the kind that would take years to establish, and Dean would have noticed it before now.”

Dean glanced away sheepishly at Sam’s look.

“Wait. Dean?” Sam asked. “How long has your power been draining like this?”

The incubus shrugged. “I dunno. Pretty much forever, really. I’m just a bit broken, is all.”

Cas gave Dean a squeeze, while Sam glared at him. “And you never thought to mention it? Dad and I could have done something!”

“Like what?” Dean asked. “Look, I just don’t hold onto energy the way I ought to. No big deal. Cas is taking care of me, it’s fine. I can already feel it coming back, slowly. What’s your big emergency, Sammy?”

The look on Sam’s face let even Castiel know that he didn’t think the conversation was over, but he was willing to change the subject for now. “Dad is angry.”

“Dad’s always angry. He’s a fucking Wrath Vice. What else is new?” Dean asked.

“No, you don’t understand. I tried to call you last night, but you weren’t anywhere I could reach. Dad decided he’d had enough of you staying in the human world, and he was gonna come after you,” Sam said.

“Shit,” Dean cursed. “Wait. Why isn’t he here, then?”

“That’s just it,” Sam said. “He was pulling energy from spirits-know-where, gathering it to force his way into the human world, but suddenly it was like the well ran dry unexpectedly. He couldn’t seem to draw anymore, and Dean. It was like a volcano. He exploded with more rage than I’ve ever seen from him. I’m not sure whether to tell you to get back here quickly or to lay low for a while.”

“Not sure it matters. I couldn’t go home now if I wanted to,” Dean said with a sigh. “Cas is right, I’m pretty fucked up right now. Not sure what happened last night, but I’ve never had everything go black like that before.”

Sam stared at Dean thoughtfully, and then seemed to come to a decision. “I’m gonna look into things on my end. Angry as Dad is, he doesn’t have the power to get to you right now, so you’re safe for a while. Teach Cas the runes to keep a Vice out of the home and salt the window; that should be enough to keep Dad away if things get bad.”

Dean blinked and nodded. “Yeah, okay. What are you thinking, Sam?”

“I’d rather not tell you until I’m sure. I’ll be in touch. Make sure you ward the house, okay? Promise me,” Sam said.

“Sure, yeah. I promise. We’ll get right on it,” Dean said, glancing to Cas. Cas nodded back.

“I will hold Dean to that, Sam,” Cas said.

“Thanks. Later, guys,” Sam said, and with a ripple his face disappeared.

*****

Cas spent the rest of the evening warding the apartment. Dean explained that while Vices were similar to incubi and succubi, they weren’t quite the same thing, and Vice wards wouldn’t have any effect on Dean.

“I don’t understand. Isn’t your father a Vice? How is it that the ward won’t affect you?” Cas asked.

“It’s hard to explain, but basically, my mom was a succubus, alright? So her first-born was always going to be either an incubus or a succubus. Every child she bore after that would share physical traits with her, but not magical ones. Incubi and succubi can only share their magical traits once. So Sammy’s a Vice,” Dean explained.

“Ah. And if you had a child with a human…?” Cas asked.

“The first child my lover bore would be like me, but every child after that would be human,” Dean said. “And it’s the magic that the wards are keeping out. It keeps us out because we can’t really suppress our inherent magic, you know? But since my magic is different from a Vice’s magic, you’d need a different set of wards to keep me out.”

“And the salt?” Cas asked.

“That’s pretty universal, actually. I won’t be able to cross any salt lines you make, but since you’re only salting the windows and along the walls, it’ll be fine. I don’t exactly need to be making giant holes in your apartment anytime soon,” Dean said with a smirk.

Besides setting up the wards, Cas also made food, which Dean ate heartily. By evening he was able to walk on his own again. Dean spent the night in Cas’s bed again, curled up in Cas’s arms. When morning came, Cas smiled down at the sleeping incubus, snoring gently into the pillow. Dean was back to his normal self, it seemed, and Cas was grateful. Perhaps the two days before had been a simple sickness.

*****

The days following Dean’s recovery saw a change in their relationship that Dean had not been expecting. Cas had washed the blankets from the couch and, instead of putting them back on the couch, had put them away. Dean was now permanently sleeping in Cas’s bed, something he adored but would never have foreseen. It meant Dean couldn’t sneak up early to go make breakfast (and coffee) before Cas woke up, which he missed a little, but the early morning snuggles were worth it.

Another change was that Cas initiated touch more often. He dropped kisses on Dean’s forehead before leaving the house, and pulled Dean into hugs upon his return. Dean hadn’t left the house since the incident, but he was used to spending his time inside. He missed their dates, but Cas had made a point of establishing the evening as TV time. They began working their way through the Cowboy Compendium, an activity that Dean recognized as much more for Dean’s enjoyment than Cas’s.

After a few days, when Dean’s strength was well and truly back, Cas settled in next to him on the couch and sighed.

“Yeah? What’s up?” Dean asked.

“I’ve been… holding off, but. Dean, may I ask you some questions?” Cas asked.

“Dude, yeah, you can ask me anything,” Dean said. “What’s got you so worried?”

“I was wondering… You seem fine now, but what happens next time? Can you… What would happen if you were fully drained of your magic?” Cas asked, fidgeting his hands restlessly.

Dean sighed. “Not really sure, but. According to the stories of demons trapped in the human world, my horns would fall off entirely and for all intents and purposes I’d become human. I mean, I’d still have a tail and shit, but I’d lose all access to my magic. I’d have to rely entirely on human food to sustain myself. It’d be doable, but it’d suck. And I wouldn’t be able to go home. I’d have to get a massive power boost to even tag along with someone crossing over.”

Cas nodded. “But you wouldn’t… you wouldn’t die?”

“Don’t think so. I’d be more vulnerable though. With my powers, I heal pretty quickly and a lot of things that’d hurt you don’t hurt me. I’d get scars and shit. Stuff like that,” Dean said, shrugging. “It’d suck, but I could live with it.”

With a shuddering breath, Cas nodded. Dean looked over at him, _really_ looked at him, for the first time in the conversation. “Cas?”

Wiping his eyes with the heels of his hands, Cas shook his head. “It’s fine. I’m just… I was so worried…”

Dean turned and gathered Cas into his arms, pushing the man’s head down against his shoulder. With a sob, Cas began trembling in Dean’s arms. Dean could feel wetness spread on his shirt, and he held Cas tighter. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had cried for him. Slowly, he laid the two of them down along the couch, muttering soothing nothings into Cas’s hair. After a while Cas’s tears subsided, though he didn’t stop clinging to Dean.

“Babe? You okay?” Dean asked, finally, when Cas didn’t pull away.

“I just… You’re so important to me, Dean. I know someday you’re going to leave me, but I just… I can’t imagine you not… being somewhere,” Cas murmured. Dean held him closer.

“I’m here. Who says I’m leaving you, babe? I’m here, okay?”

Cas nodded, but Dean couldn’t help thinking he seemed dubious of Dean’s promises.

***** 

Cas couldn’t help but worry about his… whatever someone called the incubus who lived in their apartment. His boyfriend? Cas would like to call him his boyfriend, he thought. But it wasn’t fair. Asking Dean to become effectively human because Gabriel couldn’t be bothered to stay out of Castiel’s life was beyond reprehensible, he felt. It hadn’t have been enough to make him have sex when Dean had first arrived; this was ultimately Gabriel’s fault and on some level Cas felt like Gabriel should have been the one responsible for dealing with it.

He stared down at his homework blindly, not actually registering the equations in front of him. He was between classes, sitting in the library theoretically getting his homework done so that he could have his evening free to spend with Dean. It’d been his practice for a while now, because while he worked better in the quiet of his own apartment, the time with Dean was too precious to him to use for homework.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone sitting opposite him at the study table. “You look overly distracted for Advanced Algebra, friend.”

“Hannah,” Cas said, looking up. “Hello.”

“I doubt you are that distressed by your mathematics, Castiel,” Hannah said, cocking her head to stare at him thoughtfully. “You did not seem to have any trouble in class today, anyway.”

“Ah, well. No, it is not the equations that are disturbing me,” Cas replied with a sigh. “It is of a more… personal nature.”

Hannah nodded sagely. “Are you having trouble with your family again?”

“Not exactly,” Cas replied. “It is related, but…”

“Are your parents pressuring you again?” Hannah asked. “I can provide more pamphlets if that would help.”

“No, my parents have been supportive since we had our discussion. They don’t understand, necessarily, but they are trying. It is just… I appear to have acquired a boyfriend,” Cas said, twisting his hands together. “And I am not sure how to handle it.”

Hannah’s eyes narrowed. “Does your boyfriend know you are asexual?”

“Of course!” Cas replied. “The relationship has...grown since that revelation.”

“Then what is the problem? Obviously, you will not be having sex and he knows that,” Hannah said dismissively, waving her hand as though to shoo the thought away.

“It’s not that simple, Hannah. I am not like you. I do not hate the very idea of sex altogether, I just would rather have a relationship where it was not expected,” Cas said. “I don’t find Dean attractive, but I… I think he needs sex.”

“No one _needs_ sex,” Hannah snapped. “It’s not a biological _need_ , except on a species level, and certainly you will not be procreating with another man. Dump him if he demands more.”

Cas heaved a great sigh, rolling his eyes. “You don’t understand, Hannah. There are… other considerations. I want to make him happy. I like making him happy. I… I love him, I think, and I… It is complicated, but I don’t think that I would regret doing this, even if he leaves after.”

Hannah stood up sharply. “You are hopeless. If you think he is going to leave, why would you even consider this course of action?”

Watching her leave, Cas shook his head. If nothing else, the talk had helped him formulate his thoughts better. He still had a lot to think about, but… It was important to him that Dean was not held here against his will. It was important to him that Dean have the chance to go back to his family who missed and loved him. It was important to him that Dean was happy and healthy, and part of an incubus’s health was having access to his magic. Things would be different if Dean were human, or if he could leave Cas at any time, but that was not the case. Cas needed to decide what, if anything, he was comfortable with and how far he might be willing to go. But something needed to change, because Dean’s happiness had somehow become as important to Cas as Cas’s own, and Dean’s situation was no better than Cas’s own. Cas needed to find a solution.

***** 

It was a few days later that Cas pulled Dean into the bedroom after dinner. “Babe? What’s… I thought we were gonna watch Harry Potter tonight?”

Cas shook his head. “I’ve… Dean, I’ve thought about this for a long time. I want… I can’t keep you here forever. Your dad, your brother, they need you—”

“Hey, they can do without me a little longer, baby,” Dean said, taking Cas’s head into his hands.

“Perhaps. But more importantly… I… I love you, Dean. I love you more than I know how to express. And I…” Cas paused and took a deep breath before continuing, “Dean, I know you are an incubus. And I want to… I couldn’t have a better partner for my ‘first time’ than you, Dean. I don’t know… I don’t know if I’ll like it, but I want…”

Dean stared at Cas incredulously as he trailed off. “Wait. You want… with me? But I thought you were asexual?”

“That doesn’t mean I can’t have sex,” Cas said with a small smile. “Just that I don’t have sexual attraction. I’m not sexually attracted to you, but that’s not the only form of attraction that exists. And I’d like, if you’re amenable, to show you, in your way, how much I love you.”

With a hard swallow, Dean nodded. “You sure? You say the word, at any time, and we stop, okay?”

“I’m sure,” Cas said.

They shared a long stare, Dean carefully looking for any sign of hesitancy. When he was sure he saw none, Dean leaned in, placing a chaste kiss on Cas’s lips. When he pulled away, Cas smiled at him, licking his lips. Dean leaned in again, shifting his grip to pull Cas tight to his body. The kiss was not so chaste this time. Cas followed Dean’s lead, moving his hands and lips and tongue in a mirror of Dean’s movements. It wasn’t long before they’d moved to the bed, shedding clothing as they went. Dean reveled in the feeling of Cas’s skin against his, the soft moans and whines that Cas made ringing in his ears, the taste of Cas against his tongue.

He shoved away the distant feeling that something wasn’t quite right.

*****

Cas stretched the next morning, mildly sore in places he wasn’t used to being sore in. He was also naked, a state he’d never found himself in with another person outside of high school gym class, and he wasn’t sure quite how he felt about that. Reaching over, he patted the bed, looking for Dean. Finally, he sat up, moving the blankets to cover his modesty. “Dean?”

“Yeah?” came Dean’s voice from the foot of the bed.

“Dean? Come back to bed?” Cas asked. He wasn’t quite ready to get up yet, and he was hoping for a chance to snuggle against Dean again. He knew that with this, Dean should have the boost he needed to get home, but Cas was hoping that Dean wouldn’t leave right away.

“It didn’t work,” Dean said.

“What?” Cas asked. His head was still sleep-groggy. He had no idea what Dean was referring to.

“It didn’t work!” Dean screamed. “I didn’t—Nothing happened! You didn’t give me _anything_ last night!”

Cas sat up. “Dean, I… you didn’t get any power? Nothing?”

“Nothing! I’ve gotten more energy from cuddling than I did last night! What the fuck _happened_ , Cas?!” Dean’s voice rose as he grew angry, and Cas began to get angry in return.

“Stop yelling at me like I have any idea! You’re the demon! Shouldn’t you know these things?” Cas asked.

“You knew this would happen, didn’t you? You trapped me here somehow! Now I’m never going to get home, and it’s all your fucking fault!” Dean yelled.

“I did exactly what you told me I had to, assbutt! If you didn’t get any energy from it, then that’s on your head,” Cas demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.

Furiously, Dean stood up and grabbed the nearest clothing he could find, heading for the door. “I’m leaving. And it’s ass _hole_ , asshole! Learn some real fucking insults!”

Dean stormed out of the bedroom, and then Cas heard the front door slam. A moment later, Cas realized what had happened, and buried his head into his hands. He’d let Dean down again. He had to… He had to do something. He took a deep breath and made his decision. It was time to call Gabriel.

*****

Gabriel was over at Cas’s a half hour later, laughing his ass off. “You’re kidding, right? You expect me to believe that you actually had some kind of demon living with you for the last month or whatever? How long ago was that party, even?”

“Not the point, Gabriel. Look, Dean was… Yes, he was an incubus. You summoned him. And now he needs to go home,” Cas said.

“Okay, assuming I believe you. Why couldn’t he go home before?” Gabriel asked.

“Initially, because I refused to have sex with him,” Cas replied. “But—”

“Ha!” Gabriel interrupted. “If that’s the problem, then it’s a quick fix. Sounds like it’s time for you to get laid, little brother.”

“That is _not_ the problem,” Cas began.

“This isn’t like Daphne in middle school, is it? How long did you two date?” Gabriel asked with a smirk.

“We did _not_ date, as you well know, Gabriel,” Cas said, grinding his teeth. “She was under the impression that seeing a movie we both were interested in while in the company of Michael to drive us was some kind of commitment. It was not, nor was it a ‘date,’ and when she ‘broke up’ with me a month later, that was the first time I’d had any indication that she’d felt that way.”

“Right right, so you dated like a month. And Meg? That was longer, wasn’t it?” Gabriel seemed to be greatly enjoying himself and Cas was very close to violence.

“I did not ‘date’ Meg, either,” Cas growled. “I believed that we were simply good friends, until she began to scream at me that she wanted to ‘kiss’ and ‘move further in our relationship,’ and that I was ‘holding us back.’ It was not and is not my fault that she never bothered to consider my feelings.”

“Gotcha. So this is some dude you invited home and… refused to have sex with, but you spent the night with him—don’t think I’ve forgotten that early morning phone call—and now he won’t go away?” Gabriel asked. “Well? Am I right?”

Rubbing his temples, Castiel took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself. “Gabriel. You summoned an incubus. Now he needs to go home, and you need to help me figure out how.”

Gabriel stared at Cas for a moment and sighed. “You’re really serious about this, bro.”

“Yes!” Cas snapped. “Yes, I am.”

“Okay, well, what’s holding him here?” Gabriel asked.

“He lacks the power to go home,” Cas replied, calmer now that Gabriel was finally taking him seriously.

“Well, then, I don’t see the problem. Quick roll in the hay, and voila! He’s ready to go,” Gabriel said. “That’s what Luke’s book suggested anyway.”

“ _It didn’t work_ ,” Cas nearly shouted.

“What do you mean?”

“I _mean_ , Gabriel, that Dean and I spent the night fucking, and when we woke up this morning he was no more powerful than he had been before. I _mean_ , Gabriel, that what I’ve been telling you for _my entire fucking life_ is _actually fucking true_. I’m a fucking asexual and I don’t work the same way you do, and now Dean is stuck here because I can’t give him what he needs!” Cas screamed. “For once in our goddamned lives will you _listen_ to me when I tell you what I need, instead of shoving me at what makes _you_ happy?!"

Gabriel gaped for a moment, staring as Castiel’s chest heaved. Cas’s glare didn’t lessen as Gabriel opened and closed his mouth several times, apparently at a loss for words. He felt like it served Gabriel right. He’d wanted to say something like this to Gabe for years, and while he could have possibly phrased it more kindly, he felt better having it out. 

“I… That’s… I never meant to make you feel bad,” Gabriel said, staring down at his feet.

“I know you didn’t. That’s the only reason I haven’t said anything before now,” Cas replied with a sigh.

“You’ve never told Michael any of this,” Gabriel said.

“I’ve also nearly completely cut off contact with our brother,” Cas pointed out. “Mother and I had a discussion years ago, and while she doesn’t completely understand, she’s accepted me for who I am. Surely you’ve noticed that Mother and Father haven’t asked about my intentions toward marriage or relationships in ages.”

“I… I guess so, yeah,” Gabriel said. “I hadn’t really thought about it, I guess.”

Castiel raised an eyebrow. Gabriel looked away abashed. “Okay, you got me, bro. What… What do _you_ need?”

Smiling, finally, Cas relaxed. “I need a spell that can send Dean back to his home. Something that uses energy that’s not his own.”

“Alrighty. Uh. I grabbed Luke-y’s Guide To Demonic Summoning on the way out on the off-chance you were telling the truth, which uh,” Gabriel grinned sheepishly. “It’s a good thing, huh? I’m sure we can find something in here.”

Cas took the offered book and sat down at the table, gesturing for Gabriel to settle next to him. Together they began to flip through the book.

*****

Dean had stormed out of the apartment in such a rage he hadn’t particularly paid attention to where he was going. He’d probably been lucky he’d grabbed a full, if not well-matched, outfit. His horns weren’t covered, but it was early enough in the morning it shouldn’t be an issue. Even if someone noticed, he doubted it’d be a big deal, simply because he’d become known as Cas’s eccentric friend anyway.

Eventually, he found a park bench and collapsed down onto it, shoving his fingers through his hair. How could…? How could this not work? He’d never had sex and _not_ gotten a boost from it. Sure, it was true that cuddling with Cas, holding Cas, being held, all those things gave Dean energy that he shouldn’t be getting from them. Snuggling never gave more energy than snogging, but Dean had noticed that Cas gave him a steady stream of power, had been giving it to him for days now. It was weird, especially the way it stuck around, but honestly, Dean had never stayed with a summoner so long. 

And that was part of the problem. Dean had never heard of anything like this happening before, but most of his kind only stuck around for an hour or two. Maybe a day at most. The only time an incubus might stick around was for mating. Even then, sex was assumed, and he’d _never_ heard of someone mated to an incubus or succubus and not having sex regularly.

The thing was, Dean hadn’t really missed the sex. Well, sort of. He had, but Cas… for the first time, Dean knew that someone cared about him because of who he was. Cas didn’t want him around because he was a great lay, or because he was an adorable hottie, or because he never said ‘no.’ Cas didn’t just put up with him, or let him stick around because he had nowhere else to go. Cas had dug into Dean’s head, learned things that Dean loved that Dean hadn’t even known. Dean hadn’t even realized that it was okay to have preferences before Cas.

At home… He missed Sammy. He did. But he didn’t actually miss Dad. Not having Dad over his shoulder, pushing him at ‘his work’ constantly, it was a relief. He would have said, before Cas, that of course he loved Dad, of course he never wanted to leave his family. Family was everything, family was important. His family needed him. But Sam didn’t actually need him, and John never had. 

As Dean really began thinking about it, he realized that he didn’t really want to go home. Sure, he wanted to see his brother again, and he wouldn’t mind seeing Dad, but he didn’t want to go back for good. He liked it here with Cas. And the thing was, Cas couldn’t visit Dean in the Netherworld. He might not even be able to call. Sam could call Dean whenever he wanted, could even visit every once in a while. And Dean could probably visit Sam, too. 

Dean scrubbed his hands over his eyes, almost surprised to find his hands coming away wet. He didn’t want to leave Cas. He knew Cas had done this so that Dean could leave, because Dean wanted to go home. But home wasn’t… it wasn’t with Sammy, and it certainly wasn’t with John. Dean wanted… he wanted to go home, and he suddenly realized, with great clarity, that home wasn’t in the Netherworld. Home was wherever Cas was, even if it meant never having sex again, never going back to the Netherworld again…

And he’d just fucked it all up by screaming at Cas. Great. Perfect. Dean was a great guy. His breath catching on the sobs he didn’t even realize he was making, Dean covered his face. He didn’t want to leave Cas. He didn’t. He had to tell Cas… He wanted to go _home_. Dean just wanted to go home, and he finally knew where that was.

But first, he needed to calm down. And maybe pick up some sunflowers.

*****

Dean walked into the apartment a few hours later to find a stranger in the living room. The furniture had been pushed back, with a piece of cardboard laid on the floor and a complicated sigil drawn out on it. Cas was sitting on the couch, now shoved against the wall. The stranger had a book open, sitting next to the piece of cardboard. 

“Uh. Hey. I need to talk to Cas, okay?” Dean said, trying to hide his bouquet of sunflowers behind his back. He was only marginally successful. 

“No can do, buddy. We’ve done enough damage to my little bro. Time for you to go home,” the stranger said.

“Cas?” Dean asked, desperation tinging his voice.

Castiel sighed. “Gabriel is right, Dean. I… You’re very important to me. Too important for me to keep you from your family. We’ve worked out a banishing spell that will pull its power from my blood. It shouldn’t drain you at all.”

Dean blinked. “Hell. That’s kinda awesome, actually. You and… this dude figured that out?”

Nodding, Cas turned to the stranger. “This is my brother, Gabriel. He’s the one who initiated the summoning that brought you here.”

“Ah. Threesome dude,” Dean said, nodding. Gabriel looked scandalized.

“Hey! Hey! Where did you hear abou--Cassie!! I’m gonna kill you!!” Gabriel spun on Castiel who shrugged.

“You’re the one who summoned an incubus, Gabriel. Besides, you’ve never been shy about your explorations of the human body,” Cas replied calmly. 

“Okay, fine, enough about me. Cassie, can you tell your boyfriend to get into the circle so we can send him home?” Gabriel said, grumbling.

Dean shook his head when Cas gestured to the cardboard. “Cas, please, I need to talk to you. Alone. Please.”

For a long moment, they simply stared at each other, Dean putting all his pleading into his eyes, hoping Cas could read him. Then Cas nodded. Gabriel, having watched the exchange in silence, broke in.

“Baby brother, are you sure? I’ll leave if you want, but I want to make sure…” Gabriel trailed off, shrugging awkwardly. 

“Yes, Gabriel. I’m safe with Dean, and I want to hear what he has to say. Take a walk around the block? We’ll be ready shortly,” Cas said. Gabriel nodded, and then turned to glare at Dean.

“Don’t try anything funny, mister! I’m onto you!” Gabriel said, shoving his finger into Dean’s face. It was all Dean could do not to laugh at this tiny man threatening him, but he held off, nodding seriously. 

After Gabriel had left, Dean went and sat down next to Cas. “Cas, I… I’m sorry about this morning. I didn’t… I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that. I was upset, but it wasn’t your fault.”

“It’s okay, Dean. I understand. I can’t imagine not knowing when I would be able to go home again. That’s why we did this, so that you don’t have to worry about it anymore,” Cas said.

“That’s great, Cas, it really is. But honestly… I spent all day thinking about this, and…” Dean pulled the flowers out from behind his back. “If you’ll have me, I’d like to stay here. I can call up Sam anytime I want. He’s got the power to hop back and forth if he likes. But you, here? I can’t imagine not having you in my life. I’ll leave if you want me to. But if you just did this cuz you thought it was what I wanted… I don’t.”

Cas cocked his head at Dean, and just as Dean was beginning to think he’d made a mistake, Cas choked slightly and dropped his head onto Dean’s shoulder, hands reaching out to grab Dean’s arms. “I don’t want you to go. I love you. I don’t… Please don’t go.”

Dean pulled Cas close, unmindful of the flowers being smooshed between them. “I won’t leave you, babe. I love you.”

With a gasp, Dean stiffened as he felt energy flowing from Cas into him. Cas started to pull away, but Dean tightened his grip, refusing to let Cas go. The energy was like a waterfall, more plentiful than the best sex he’d ever had with a summoner, an outflowing from Cas that he’d never dreamed was possible. 

“Dean?” Cas asked, clearly concerned.

“It’s… It’s okay,” Dean said. He began to laugh. “It’s okay! Cas, Cas you… I… You love me, and I love you, and I don’t need sex because you love me! Cas, I love you, I love you! It’s amazing!”

“What…?” Cas blinked at him.

“You were right, Cas! You were right, you’re different, and it’s not sex that gives me energy from you. It’s… It’s that we love each other,” Dean was laughing, and he was crying, and he couldn’t stop smiling. He pulled Cas to him tightly. Cas wrapped his arms around Dean, sniffling a little himself. 

When Gabriel came back a half hour later, he found the two of them, with sunflower petals strewn between and around them, curled up together on the couch. He sighed. “Guess I’ll see you later, little brother. Don’t forget to bring your boyfriend to Sunday dinner. Mom’ll want to meet him.”

He wasn’t entirely sure the two even heard him.

*****

“Hey, Sammy!” Dean said with a grin. “We got news!”

Dean and Cas were sitting on the bed they now shared, Cas with his back against Dean’s chest, holding the bowl of water for scrying. Dean’s hands were covering Cas’s on the bowl, ostensibly to help him hold the bowl and share magic, but mostly because they enjoyed the touch. 

“I’ve got some as well,” Sam said.

“Well, us first. We found the way for Cas to power me!” Dean said excitedly. 

“Does that mean you’re coming back?” Sam asked, raising an eyebrow at the smiling pair. 

“Ah… Not exactly. See, we kinda… Cas and I…” Dean stammered to a stop, apparently unsure how to continue.

“Your brother and I have embarked on a new relationship, and Dean is hoping to get your blessing, as he currently has no plans to return to your home,” Cas said, picking up where Dean had left off. “We _both_ want your blessing. And we would like to extend an invitation to you and your father to visit sometime, as well.

“Yeah, that,” Dean said, resting his chin on Cas’s shoulder. “What d’ya say, Sam? You and Dad up for meeting a new family member?”

“About that,” Sam said. “So, uh. Dad won’t be coming anytime soon. Or ever.”

“What do you mean? Is he… Is he mad I’m still here?” Dean asked hesitantly. Cas leaned back and nuzzled Dean’s cheek.

“Well, I did some digging, and it turns out there’s a couple of ways for Vices to get power, especially a Wrath Vice like Dad,” Sam said. “Dad probably stumbled on it accidentally, but it’s easy enough to find. And once he had that, he didn’t need to worry about being summoned anymore.”

“You lost me, Sam. What the hell are you talking about?” Dean asked. 

“Dean, Dad went darkside,” Sam said. “You know us Vices don’t get summoned nearly as often as you do, but the power from each summoning is usually a lot greater.”

“Yeah, sure, but that doesn’t make him dark,” Dean replied. 

“Sure, but do you remember Dad _ever_ being summoned? Like, ever?” Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Not really, but he always pushed me to take every summons I could, so I wasn’t around all the time or anything,” Dean said thoughtfully.

“And that’s another thing. Dad pushed you to take all those jobs. And you told me before that you have never been able to keep that energy,” Sam said. “But worse, I… Dean, Dad treated you like shit, and I just… kind of let him. I didn’t think about it, and I should have. I’ve not done my job, and I’m sorry.”

Dean just blinked at Sam. Cas sighed. “Sam, while we enjoy talking to you, and Dean appreciates your words, I believe we are having a hard time connecting the dots here.”

“Right. Sorry. So what it comes down to is that a Wrath like Dad can get power from summons, but he can also get power from… ah… From crushing someone’s spirit,” Sam said, looking away.

“Sam… what are you saying?” Dean asked.

“I’m saying that Dad’s treatment of you, the way he yelled, the way he made sure when he said jump you asked how high?” Sam explained. “That was Dad making sure he had enough control over you to pull power from you. The reason you couldn’t hang onto your power isn’t because there was something wrong with you. It was because Dad forced you under his thumb so he could steal it from you.”

“Wh-what?” Dean stuttered. 

Cas stepped in. “You’re saying that your father abused Dean, and doing so meant that he could steal Dean’s power from him?” When Sam nodded, Cas continued, “And he was the reason Dean collapsed and nearly burned down the apartment, wasn’t he? He was pulling power from Dean to force his way here. So if all that is true, why is Dean still at full power?”

“Yeah, that’s true. I haven’t been losing energy at all,” Dean said.

“I’ve got a theory on that, but it’s kind of sappy,” Sam said. “Can you tell me how Cas powers you?”

“It’s the power of love,” Cas replied.

Dean hid against Cas’s shoulder. “You didn’t have to phrase it quite like that, babe.”

Sam snorted. “That’s what I thought. You didn’t get energy from Cas through sex, right? Dad could only pull power from you through his subjugation of your powers. But Cas offered you energy outside of those powers, and, even better, a way out from under Dad’s thumb. Dad couldn’t pull anything that Cas gave you.”

“So, what happens to your father now? Is there a court case, or a trial?” Cas asked.

Sam smiled, a wide, wide smile that made his teeth look far more pointy than they actually were. The water around his face seemed to darken, making his eyes glow a deep red. Cas suddenly had no problem thinking of Sam as a demon. 

“When one of our own goes bad, it is up to the Justice Vices to mediate and bring about balance once again. John Winchester has been weighed, measured, and found wanting, and it was my job to intervene. The matter has been settled,” Sam said, in a voice that brooked no argument.

Dean nodded. “Thanks, Sammy.”

“No problem,” Sam said, once again a cheerful and floppy-haired young man. Cas blinked. “But I’d love to visit sometime! I’ve got plenty of energy right now, and it sounds like you do too, so we’ll have to plan! I want to give Cas my congratulations and condolences in person!”

Dean laughed, “Yeah, yeah, bitch. Tell us when you’re free!”

They spent the rest of the conversation bantering back and forth, planning a visit and getting to know each other. When they hung up, Cas settled the bowl on the nightstand and curled up in the bed with Dean. They shared a gentle kiss, before Dean reached over and turned off the light.

“Dean?”

“Yeah, babe?”

“I love you,” Cas said.

“I love you too, dork. Now go to sleep,” Dean replied. “I’ll take care of your dreams.”

Cas couldn’t imagine his life any other way.


End file.
